LAGOS, SECULARISM, AND THE DANGER OF RELIGIOUS CALCULATIONS IN 2027
By Citizen Bolaji O. Akinyemi
At a time when Nigeria is battling deep fault lines—ethnic, religious, and political—Lagos ought to stand apart.
Not just as a commercial capital.
But as a moral compass for democratic leadership.
Yet, what are we seeing?
A quiet but persistent push—subtle in tone, loud in implication—that the next political arrangement in Lagos must again tilt along religious lines. Names are being floated. Calculations are being made. And in some corners, the argument is being framed around identity rather than competence.
This is dangerous.
THE BURDEN OF LAGOS IN NATIONAL POLITICS
Lagos is not just another state.
It is the political base of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
It is the ideological engine room of the current federal administration.
It is the testing ground of what is now branded as “Renewed Hope.”
If Lagos cannot model secular balance, what hope is there for the federation?
THE SHADOW OF THE MUSLIM/MUSLIM PRECEDENT
The emergence of the Tinubu–Shettima ticket in 2023 created a national conversation on religious sensitivity.
Whether one agrees with it or not, one fact is clear:
It heightened perception of exclusion.
At such a time like this, going forward to 2027, Lagos should be leading the way in dousing tension, not reinforcing it.
To now entertain, even informally, another religion-based leadership calculation—whether in favour of Kadri Obafemi Hamzat or any other aspirant—is to ignore the fragile psychology of the nation.
THE PROBLEM WITH AN UNOFFICIAL “ROSTER”
What makes the situation even more troubling is this:
There is no official policy, no constitutional requirement, no legislative framework that mandates leadership rotation based on religion in Lagos State.
Yet, narratives are being built around it.
This is how dangerous precedents begin—not by law, but by normalization.
And those promoting it are not limited to one faith.
Muslims, Christians, and even traditionalists are complicit—each advancing arguments that, in the end, weaken the very fabric of democracy.
IF LAGOS IS “WORKING,” LET IT SHOW IN DEMOCRACY
Many will argue:
“Lagos is the only state that is working.”
If that claim must hold water, then Lagos must go beyond infrastructure and revenue.
It must lead in:
Merit-based leadership selection
Institutional integrity over identity politics
Inclusion without tokenism
Competence over religious balancing
A state cannot claim excellence in governance while quietly sliding into identity-driven power allocation.
That is not progress.
That is regression in refined clothing.
THE REAL QUESTION BEFORE LAGOSIANS
The question is not:
“Who is Muslim?”
“Who is Christian?”
The real question is:
Who has the capacity to govern Lagos at its complexity?
Who understands the economic, social, and security architecture of the state?
Who can sustain and improve on existing systems without collapsing them?
Anything short of this is a disservice to the people.
FINAL WORD
Lagos must resist the temptation to become a template for religious political engineering.
Instead, it must rise as a beacon of secular democracy—where leadership is earned by competence, character, and capacity, not by creed.
If Lagos fails in this responsibility, then the claim that it is “working” becomes hollow.
Because the true test of a working system is not just in roads and revenue—
But in the quality of democratic example it sets for the nation.
Citizen (Dr) Bolaji O Akinyemi
Apostle and Nation Builder.
